‘Tis the season for gift giving and many will be receiving Wii video game consoles. Incorporating equipment such as exercise balls into Wii games like My Fitness Coach has indeed revolutionized home exercise programs. Now it seems Wii games are becoming increasingly more common in physical, occupational and neurological rehabilitation. Several rehab centers are using the terms Wiihabilitation or just Wiihab.
Wii Sports has been used for conditions such as brain injuries, strokes, spinal cord injuries and following combat injuries. The virtual reality games can be used by patients while still using a wheelchair. It has been used with seniors to improve balance and to prevent falls. WakeMed Health in Raleigh, NC uses the Wii for patients as young as 9 and all the way up to the 80’s. (USA)
Therapy using the Wii may focus on areas of balance and movement, coordination, motor skills, ROM, endurance and strength. “Patients may think it’s for entertainment, but we know it’s for therapy”, Lt Col Stephanie Daugherty, Walter Reed’s chief of occupational therapy. (USA)
“Patients are motivated since they are participating in a sport they may have previously enjoyed” states Michaela St. Onge, OTR. (NY Times). Especially with games that offer score accumulation, “Scoring provides immediate feedback to patients as their motor skills, range of motion, balance and coordination improve with activity”, states Renee Guerette, program manager for Aroostook’s neurological rehabilitation unit. The unit has been using Wii Sports for over two years. (NY Times)
One patient from Aroostook’s used the Wii Sports during rehab for a stroke. He continues to use the Wii golf at home and competes with his granddaughter. (NY Times)
Research is being conducted that supports the use of Wii games in stroke rehabilitation. The conclusion to one study published in the journal, Stroke, “Virtual Reality Wii gaming technology represents a safe, feasible, and potentially effective alternative to facilitate rehabilitation therapy and promote motor recovery after stroke.”
Dr. Arlene McCarthy, director of the neurological physical therapy residency program at Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City, CA acknowledges that she could design a patient’s workouts using more traditional therapy and achieve the same results. But she states, “Therapy should be fun and meaningful for the individual and the difference is that by using the Wii, it is more fun for the patient.
References:
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/health/physical-therapists-use-wii-golf-to-treat-patients.html?_r=0
USA Today: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-02-08-wii-rehabilitation_N.htm
Stroke: http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/41/7/1477.full.pdf+html
